10 Grossly Underrated TV Heroines Who Deserve More Praise

9. Kennedy (Buffy The Vampire Slayer)

Joss Whedon is notable for breaking his audience’s hearts by killing off their beloved characters for the sake of character growth. The most prominent and widely-excited example is the death of fan favourite Tara McClay, Willow’s one true love, who was brutally executed by a stray bullet meant for Buffy herself. The death was shocking, violent and devastating – not only to the audience but to Willow, sending her down a path to darkness.

After the fan backlash, Whedon introduced the character of Potential Slayer Kennedy, a lesbian who formed a relationship with a grieving Willow, inviting only more backlash. Kennedy, simply, wasn’t Tara, and despite Kennedy’s generally positive, snarky and funny character – and Iyari Limon’s engaging portrayal of her – and a rumoured plan of Whedon’s to resurrect Tara in the final ever episode, she never garnered support or fans that didn’t see her potential as a proto-Buffy in the making.